Among most valuable veterans
At the age of 36, Sergio Ramos does not think about ending his career in the near future. “I would like to play at a high level for another four to five years and then have a different experience,” the Paris Saint-Germain defender said in an interview withAmazon Prime Video“. Across Europe’s top 5 leagues, several ‘oldies’ show that age is just a number.
With Ibrahimovic, CR7 & Co.: The most active “oldies” in the top 5 leagues
At 38, José Fonte is both captain and regular at league rivals LOSC Lille and has not missed a minute in Ligue 1 this season. As a query in the TM database revealed, the Portuguese has the most playing time of all over-36 outfield players in the top 5 leagues. Behind him is Anthony Losilla (36) from VfL Bochum, a professional from the Bundesliga. The oldest players in this ranking are AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Real Betis’ Joaquín, both aged 40. The contracts of the two veterans end at the end of the season.
“As long as my physique is right, I think I’ll be able to keep my focus,” said Ramos, who has been plagued by injuries regularly since the 2020/21 season. Since arriving in the French capital, he has made seven appearances and missed 33 games. Most recently, the defender was back in the starting lineup in the 6-1 win at Clermont Foot and played the full 90 minutes. The right footer moved to Paris last summer after 16 years at Real Madrid, where he signed a contract until 2023. “I have two years here. I’ll try to make three of them.”
If Ramos were to add another season to Paris after the 2022/23 season, he would be 38 at the end of the contract. His current market value is 8 million euros, which puts him in fourth place compared to other players aged 36 and over. The working paper of ex-PSG captain Thiago Silva (37) was not extended in 2020 after eight years for reasons of age – he won the Champions League with Chelsea the following season and is also an important part of Thomas Tuchel’s team this season.
To home page